Ode to Joy

I heard a Hawaiian phrase recently – malama pono – which means ‘take good care of yourself’ and I wondered, do you?

Do you take care of yourself the way you know you should or do you coast through life taking your health and well-being for granted?

I know I don’t always take the best care of myself, distracted by business, commitments to others and yes, I admit it – sometimes laziness.

What? A life coach admitting to laziness? Not too common I know, but hey I’m human and I’ve got my challenges just like you do!

It’s been four months since I first focused on self-care in the month-long homage. Four months during which time my focus has waxed and waned as reliably as the moon.

And it makes sense that I’m thinking of it again now as I’ve been in Maui the past two weeks and self-care has been effortless, creating a sense of well-being and joy I haven’t felt in a very long time.

This focus on self-care and joy was partly inspired by Andrea Olson’s recent post 100 Tiny Pulses along with Martha Beck’s Joy Diet, not new but an empowering menu of daily practices for a happier life. But more on that in a minute.

While here in Maui, this is what effortless has looked like.

Typical vacation day:

• Up between 6-6:3oam
• 15 minutes of meditation (sometimes watching the horizon for whales)
• Breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, maca and nuts
• An hour or two of writing
• Day’s activity
• Picnic lunch made with fresh local ingredients
• Lots of walking and fresh air
• Healthy dinner, usually grilled with fresh veggies
• Asleep by 10:30pm

What’s important to note about this regime is this – it’s pretty simple, and more importantly it’s sustainable.

And if I can take good care of myself and feel an increased level of  joy here, why not at home?

 

10 Practices to Up Your Joy AND Take Better Care of Yourself!

 

1.  Nothing: do nothing for 15 minutes a day

Whether I’m meditating, watching whales or sitting in silence, I love starting my day with nothing!  Before email, voicemail, client calls or appointments, this 15 minutes sets the tone for my day. Some days I sit longer than others, but 15 minutes is my promise to myself.

Over to you: Are you making this time for yourself or making excuses? Start with 5 minutes. It’s better than nothing and you’ll be surprised at how it starts to make a difference.

“Find joy in the journey.” – Thomas S. Monson

2.  Truth: get real and tell the truth

The day came, even on vacation, when I had to face the truth that I had ignored my needs in favour of others. This was hard to admit, but once I did I felt a renewed sense of freedom and a lightness of spirit that was so worth the discomfort.

Over to you: What truth have you been avoiding? How can you take steps to address it today?

“If your joy is derived from what society thinks of you, you’re always going to be disappointed.” – Madonna

3.  Desire: explore one of your heart’s desires

You’d think this would be easy on vacation, but checking in with my desires doesn’t always seem convenient, and can sometimes feel a bit selfish. For example, one of my desires while here has been time to myself to write. Since I’m here with my husband and mother-in-law this has been a bit tricky. But the cost of not getting that time became too great.

Over to you: What do you want? Remember #2? Get real and tell the truth about what you want. It will set you free.

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” – Rumi

4.  Creativity: develop your creativity in new ways

The single greatest thing I’ve done do express my creativity more fully in the past two years has been to schedule my writing time. At first this seemed counter-intuitive to developing creativity, but I kept at it and it now feels like my creativity has been unleashed!

Over to you: Try something new! Give up what you think you know about creativity and experiment a little.

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

5.  Risk: take one action toward your goal

I’ve been called a risk-taker but have never thought of myself that way, I think because I’ve always focused on taking small, consistent actions. One small action is doable no matter what else is going on in life and doesn’t trigger my lizard brain.

Over to you: Time to give up your reasons and excuses! What’s one thing you could do today that would move your goal or dream forward? Do it now.

“Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.” – Pearl S. Buck

6. Treats: give yourself permission to indulge 

Even though I’ve made healthy eating a priority on this trip, I’ve also given myself permission to enjoy the treats that only this gorgeous island can offer. No guilt. No remorse. Just enJOYment.

Over to you: Stop denying yourself. There’s nothing appealing about suffering. Give yourself something you’ve been longing for.

“Every day brings a chance to live free of regret and with as much joy, fun, and laughter as you can stand.” – Oprah Winfrey

7.  Play: have some fun! 

The daily adventures have included a great deal of play; from walking on the beach to excursions around the island to hanging out on the lanai enjoying the fruity drinks I’ve come to love. Play in all its forms is good for the soul.

Over to you: Lighten up! Sing a little, dance in your living room, smile at strangers. Bottomline – don’t take yourself so seriously!

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” – Helen Keller

8.  Laughter: laugh…a lot

This part of the diet is my favourite as there’s nothing I like more than laughing. You know those deep belly laughs that leave your abs aching? Like that!

Over to you: Did I already say lighten up? Yes, and it’s so important I’ll say it again! Life is funny, and as someone once said, you’ll probably laugh about a situation after the fact, so why not laugh now?

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” – e. e. cummings

9.  Connection: reach out to someone who matters

Thanks to social media, I’ve been able to stay in touch with friends and family while on vacation. I’ve enjoyed sharing photos and hearing comments, feedback and even travel tips via Instagram and Facebook.

Over to you: Stop withholding yourself from others. Who you are is a gift and keeping yourself to yourself is a rip off! Cut it out and connect with the people around you.

“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” – Mark Twain

10. Feasting: enjoy feasting, with  or without food

Trust me, I have feasted! On delicious local food, on the nourishing fresh air and on the company of people I love.

Over to you: Life is a buffet to be enjoyed. Try something new, you might just like it 😉

“Do anything, but let it produce joy.”  – Walt Whitman

 

There you have it: 10 simple ways to up your joy while taking better care of yourself.

Easier said than done? Not really.

Start with one or two, develop your joy muscle and experience malama pono for yourself!